Rotary drum clothes washing machine



Jan. 14, 1947. .1. H. LEEF ROIARY DRUM CLOTHES WASHING MACHINE 2Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 29, 1944 M 2 v; k Joh Jm.14,1941. J. H. mm2,414,154

ROTARY DRUM CLOTHES WASHING MACHINE Filed July 29, 1944 2 Shasta-Sheet 2I 3 i4 75 Jizvenzor I 5 170/212 HZ/eef Patented Jan. 14, 1947 UNITEDSTATE ROTARY 'DRUM CLOTHES WASHING MACHINE John Leef, Minneapolis,Application July 29, 1944, Serial'No. 547,134

5 Claims. (oi. ss 140) My present inventionrrelates to improvements inthe so-called rotary drum type of washing machine, wherein a perforaterotary inner drum is mounted within a stationary outer shell or casingand in which it is customary practice to intermittently reverse thedirection of rotation of the said perforate inner drum.

Generally stated, the invention consists in novel devices, combinationsof devices, and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and defined.

While the invention is adapted .for use in connection with rotary drumwashing machines generally, it has been particularly designed anddeveloped for use in connection with, and has particular advantages whenused in connection with, that variety of rotary drum washing machinewherein loading and unloading of the inner drum is accomplished throughaligned axial openings in the inner drum and outer casing.

Among the important objects of the present invention is the provision ofimproved mounting and driving mechanism for the rotary inner drum whichmay be produced and maintained at a minimum of cost, and wherein thedriving connections for the inner drum will be automatically maintainedtight and free of backlash.

Another important object of the present invention is the provision of aninner drum supporting and driving mechanism which, when applied torotary drum machines of the end loading type, may be readily adjusted toobtain or maintain axial alignment of the loading and unloading openingsof the inner drum and outer casing.

Still another important object of the invention is the provision ofsimple and inexpensive bearing devices for preventing lateral wobblingof the chain-supported end of the rotary drums of the above describedtyp of washing machine, and which may be hereinafter referred to asantiwobble bearings.

The above and other important objects and advantage of the inventionwill be made apparent from the following specification, claims, andappended drawings. 7

In the accompanying drawings, like characters indicate like partsthroughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a composite drawing comprising a perspective view of a machineembodying a preferred embodiment of the invention and a wiring diagramillustrating the electrical hook-up of the reversible motor;

Fig. 2 is an axial sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

.drical wall 4.

3 is an enlarged fragmentary end view I taken approximately on the line33 of Fig. 2 and looking from left toward the right;

Fig. 4 is afragmentary detail sectional view taken on the line 44 ofFig. 2; and

3 F 5 is a fragmentary ,detail sectional view similar to Fig. 4 butshowing a somewhat modified form of adjustable anti-wobble bearings forthe inner drum. I

In the drawings, the stationary outercasing of the machine, indicated asanentirety by I, is shown as being of cylindrical form comprising a rearend wall 2, a front end wall 3, and a cylin- This drum-like outer casingI is provided in its front wall 3 with an axial loading and unloadingaperture 5 that is normally closed by a door 6 hinged to the outersurface thereof at I, and which is provided with a transparent window 8.Preferably, and as shown, thi door comprises a radial annular flange 9that nor mally rests against the outer face of the front wall 3, asleeve-like flange In that extends inwardly through the outer wallopening 5, and an end wall in which the said window 8 is located. Forreasons that will hereinafter be made apparent, it will be seen that theinwardly exbeing cylindrical in form and comprises an imperforate rear'end wall H, a front end. wall l2, and a perforate cylindrical wall l3.The said front end wall l2 of the inner drum is provided with an axialloading and unloading opening defined by an axially projectingcylindrical flange N that projects into and works withclearance betweenthe wall of the axial opening 5 of the outercasing and the inwardlytapered portion of the sleeve-like flange 10 of the door 6. This much ofthemachine is known to be old, but I will now proceed to describe indetail the inner drum supporting, driving, and guiding mechanism ormechanisms forming the subject matter of the present invention, andwhich I believe to be new in the art.

The rear end of the rotary inner drum is journalled and supportedthrough the medium of a suitable self-aligning bearing. In the preferredembodiment of the invention herein illustrated, the rear end of theinner drum is journalled to the rear wall 2 of the outer shell or casingI through the medium of a conventional selfaligning bearing I5 and avstub shaft l6 carried by and projecting axially from the rear end wall'tained within a transmission casing 26.

pin or-pintle 32.

' the hand screws 33 to bring the sleeve |4 into vertically centeredrelation with'the walls of the casing passage 5, further adjustmentswill be necessary only at widely-spaced intervals occasioned in asuitable recess in the end wall 2, and bearing balls l9.

The inner drum is driven by, and the front end of the drum is supportedby, driving and transmission parts and connections comprising a ringsprocket 20, a drive chain 2|, and a pinion sprocket 22. The ringsprocket surrounds the loading sleeve 4 of the inner drum andis suitablyanchored to the front wall'of the inner drum by rivets or the like 23.The chain 2| engages the sprockets 20 and 22 and works through suitableopenings 24 in the top of the outer shell or casing The pinion ordriving sprocket 22 is mounted'fast on a drive shaft 25 of a suitablespeed-reducing transmission mechanism conshaft 25 is driven from asuitable motor 21 through the medium of said speed-reducing mountingbase 28. The said power unit comprising the rotary and transmissionmechanism is bolted directly to the base 28 at 29, and said base at oneside is pivotally or hingedly connected-to the'top of the cylindricalouter casing I by cooperating hinge lugs 30 and 3| and a hinge The hingepin or pintle 32 extends parallel to the axis of the sprocket 22. At itsother side, the power unit mounting base 23 is supported from thearcuate top of the outer casing I by adjusting screws 33 that workthrough internally-threaded apertures in the mounting base and bearagainst suitable load-carrying projections 34 on the upper portion ofthe outer casing. a

With the above described arrangement, it will be clear that the chain 2|will be maintained tight and slack free at all times, since the entireweight of the loading end of the rotary drum and its contents arecarried directly by the driving connections comprising the chain 2| andsprockets 20 and 22. This feature is highly important, particularly inmachines wherein the direction of rotation of the rotary drum isintermittently reversed as in the present instance. Of course, it isalso important that the loading or unloading openings of thefoutercasing and rotary drum be maintained in true axial alignment, so thatthe extended sleeve M of the innerdrum will work with clearance betweenthe walls of the outer casing opening 5 and the inwardly tapered portionID of the door 6. Initial and subsequent vertical adjustments of thefront or loading end of the rotary inner drum with respect to the outercasing are, of course, quickly and easily accomplished by handmanipulation of the adjusting screws 33 resulting in a slight pivotaltilting action of the entire power unit and a resultant raising orlowering of the upper drive This by wear and consequent stretching ofthe link chain or belt 2|, assuming, of course, that the chain andweight-carrying bearings are of sufficient size to carry the loadwithout undue strain.

.In the preferred embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figs. 1-4inclusive, lateral wobbling movements of the loading end of the rotaryinner V drum are prevented by anti-wobble bearings in the nature ofoil-soaked bearing blocks 35. These bearing blocks 35 are located atandengage dia metrically opposite sides of the loading sleeve H of theinner drum and are adjustably anchored directly to the inner face: ofthe end wall 3 of the outer casing. By reference particularly to Fig. 4,it will be seen that the bearing blocks 35 are longitudinally slottedand are secured to g the end wall 3 by head and washer equipped bolts 35screw-threaded into the end wall 3 and working in the slots 35' of theblocks 35. In the modification shown in Fig.5, the antiwobble bearingscomprise headedlag screws 31 screwed directly into the casing end 3 andhaving their heads disposedagainst diametrically opposite points on theperiphery of the sleeve l4; 7

In'the above description, it has been assumed that the machine is of theparticular variety wherein the direction of rotation of the inner 'drum'i intermittently reversed. While this'intermittent reversing of the drummay be accomplished in various different Ways, I prefer to accomplishthis action by use of a reversibleelectric motor controlled by suitableautomatic reversing switch mechanism. Hence, it may be assumed that themotor'2'l is of the reversible type having three leads extendingtherefrom. InF ig.

1, these leads are indicated by 38, 39, and'40. Referring nowparticularly to the diagrammatical portion of Fig. l, a pair of powerline leads are indicated by 4| and 42 respectively. The

power line lead 42 is connected directly to the motor lead 38 through alead 43; "The lead 4| has interposed therein a manual ofi-on switch 44and is adapted to be alternately connected to motor leads 39 and 40through opposite end contacts of a conventional mercury switch 45. Thismercury switch has apair of contacts 45 at one end thereof and a pair ofcontacts 41 at the other end thereof; the contacts 46 being closed byaglobule of-mercury 48 when the tube is tipped to the right and thecontacts 41 being closed'by the mercury 48 when the'tube is tipped tothe 7 left. The mercury tube contacts 46- are interposed in a lead 49extending'from lead 4| to motor" to be of the small clock type varietyand has one side connected directly to lead 43 through a lead 51 and itsother side connected to lead 4| through a lead 58. The contour of thecam 55 is such that the switch 45 will be tilted in one direction toclose contacts 56 throughout approximately of cam movement and willpermit the switch 45 to tilt in the other direction and close thatclothing or the like within the inner drum will be saturatedwith thecleaning fluid.

While the invention ,has beenillustrated and described in connectionwith washing machines, it will be obvious that ,the invention is alsoapplicable to clothes drying machines of the socalled rotary drum or"tumbler type.

What I claim is:

1. In a machine of the kind described, a fixed outer casing, a perforaterotary inner drum disposed within said outer casing on a horizontalaxis, axially aligned loading and unloading openings in one end of therotary inner drum and an adjacent wall of the outer casing, the otherend of'said inner drum being journalled to the outer casing through themedium of a self-aligning bearing, a ring chain sprocket mounted on theloading andsunloading end of the rotary inner drum concentrically withand surrounding the loading and unloading opening therein, wherebyloading and unloading of said-inner drum will be through the axialopening in saidring sprocket, a power unit mounted on the upper portionof said outer casing and havin a chain sprocket located above the outercasing and said ring sprocket, and a link chain running over saidsprockets, said chain operating through apertures in the upper portionof said outer casing.

2. The structure defined in claim 1 in which the said power unit ismounted on the upper portion of the outer casing through the medium ofapivotal connection the axis or which is parallel to but spaced from theaxis of the upper sprocket,

and an adjusting device controlling the angulation of the power unitwith respect to the outer casing whereby to effectively raise and lowerthe upper sprocket.

3. In a machine of the kind described, a fix d outer casing, a perforaterotary inner drum disposed within the outer casing on a horizontal axis,an axial loading and unloading opening in one end of the inner drum, acooperating axially aligned loading and unloading opening in an adjacentwall of the casing, said inner drum being provided with an axiallyprojecting loading and unloading sleeve extending from the marginalportion of said inner drum opening into the cooperating opening of theouter casing, a self-aligning bearing operatively supporting the a otherend of the inner drum, a ring chain sprocket mounted on the loading andunloading end of the inner drum in radially spaced concentric relationto said ring sprocket, a. driving sprocket rotatively supported on theupper portion of the outer casing above the ring sprocket, a chainrunnin over said sprockets and supporting and driving said ring sprocketand drum from the upper sprocket, and horizontally spaced antiwobblebearings mounted on the outer casing and engaging diametrically oppositeportions of the loading and unloading sleeve.

4. The structure defined in claim 3 in which the said anti-wobblebearings comprise horizontally slotted bearing blocks anchored to theouter casing by bolts passed through said slots.

5. The structure defined in claim 3 in which the said anti-wobblebearings comprise headed lagscrews screwed directly into the outercasing through the wall of the said aperture therein and having theirheads in frictional engagement with the outer periphery of the sleeve ofthe inner drum.

JOHN H. LEEI'.

